As any major honors show approaches, one notices an outcry for the addition additional classifications to honor overlooked contributions and satisfy the spirits of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
My colleague made the case for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. The same goes for board games, representing someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it remains highly personal, and typically generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of video games, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards currently feature classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories effectively encompass numerous genres, making space possible for numerous titles.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Think about these this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles launched regularly that have no home in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition completely in 2014
- Another imaginative release received no nominations that year
- Popular arranging title was overlooked recently
- Just some puzzle games barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent compact experiences, yet the craft in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Well-known matching games count as most engaged experiences worldwide continuing this trend for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles for the title of highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge of video game design, producing among most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Comparable to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait generations.
